Keep Your Voice Down Presents: This interview with Matt Erspamer, a journalist, copy writer, and film and television critic, who also happens to have went to Central Michigan University with hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears, Jr. The three CMU journalism school alums discuss a new partnership between Matt and Watershed Voice, the pros and cons of streaming services acting as movie studios, the origin of Matt’s passion for cinema, and why only one of them is currently practicing journalism.
Alek Haak-Frost
Despite an uncommon number of contested races on this year’s Three Rivers city ballot, there will be no new faces on the city commission in 2024.
A message from Watershed Voice Executive Editor Alek Haak-Frost
A message from Executive Editor Alek Haak-Frost regarding Watershed Voice’s NewsMatch fundraising campaign.
On this week’s episode of Keep Your Voice Down, Alek and Doug are joined by Washington-based hip hop producer and artist Blake Alford. The Anderson, Indiana native talks about his latest project Domino Effect, and the added effort that went into producing the album’s first single, Oxygen, which is set to drop on November 10.
The trio also discuss how Blake has evolved as an artist, why community and collaboration are vital to any creative process, and answer the question on everyone’s mind, “what kind of music does Alek listen to when playing video games?”
Following a totally planned and not at all unintentional 80-day hiatus, Keep Your Voice Down is back! Alek and Doug return to their respective mics to discuss the 2023 LION Local Journalism Awards in North Carolina, mental health, and Watershed Voice’s upcoming NewsMatch fundraising campaign.
We’ve got great news –– Watershed Voice Executive Editor and Publisher Alek Haak-Frost is a finalist for the Local Independent Online News Publishers #LIONAwards23 Public Service Award! The LION Awards recognize excellence by local independent online news businesses, and they received nearly 300 award entries this year.
Alek and Doug attempt to recap the magic that was the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase, while Alek grapples with the authenticity of certain pop culture references and idioms used by characters in Ginny & Georgia. Would a teen in the 2020s reference Ghost (1990)? How often does Pinky & the Brain (1995) come up? Is Casper the Friendly Ghost on the typical Gen Z-er’s radar? We ponder.
Those in attendance at the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase were treated to three-and-a-half hours of poetry and spoken word, rap, hip hop, gospel and folk/Americana music to raise money for local, independent journalism. See photos from Saturday’s festivities here.
The third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase returns this Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. at The Huss Project (1008 8th St.) in Three Rivers. Eleven artists from across the midwest will captivate audiences with live music, poetry, and stand-up comedy. Here is a closer look at the performances and acts set to take the stage Saturday night.
Doug and Alek are, in fact, alive. After a lengthy hiatus the duo return to preview the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase (Saturday, July 15, 6 p.m., The Huss Project, Three Rivers), recap all that has happened between the last KYVD episode and this one, including Three Rivers Pride, Alek’s first tattoo(shout out to Portfolio Ink and Amber Ward), and how Alek’s wife Deborah is the Tom Hagen of Watershed Voice.
Watershed Voice Executive Editor & Publisher Alek Haak-Frost addresses the harmful and factually inaccurate messaging making its rounds on social media regarding Three Rivers Pride.
Andrew George of Three Rivers Pride stops by Keep Your Voice Down to chat about the upcoming and first ever Pride Festival in the City of Three Rivers on Saturday, June 24. Andrew, Alek, and Doug talk about how a Pride flag ban protest and the community support it garnered spurred on the creation of Three Rivers Pride Festival, how it all came together in under six months, and details on what to expect at the event.
A St. Joseph County Circuit Court jury returned guilty verdicts this week on four of five charges lodged against 29-year-old Sturgis resident Brandon Forbes, who attacked a family member with a hammer in 2022.
Kim Moffat, executive director of We Are Voters and prolific podcaster (Here’s What’s Happening, Dawson’s Darlings, My America), joins Alek and Doug on Keep Your Voice Down this week to discuss all things voting. We Are Voters is a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to reimagine civics education, reestablish a healthy dialogue concerning government and politics, and build stronger, more informed voters regardless of political affiliation.
Watershed Voice Executive Editor & Publisher Alek Haak-Frost explains why what Watershed Voice is, is less important than who Watershed Voice is, when contemplating whether to donate and/or subscribe during our Spring Member Drive.
Watershed Voice (WSV) was awarded a $25,000 community impact grant on Thursday, April 13 from the Sturgis Area Community Foundation (SACF) for Watershed’s Community News Coalition project.
With the recent passing of Dr. John K. Hartman, a professor who impacted Alek and Doug‘s lives and a great many others, the Keep Your Voice Down hosts decided to honor Hartman with a special episode. Fellow Central Michigan University alums Chad Livengood (Detroit News Politics Editor) and Steve Coon (CMU instructor, Grand Central Magazine advisor) join Alek and Doug to reflect on the life and impact of a truly great journalistic mind, and a loving friend, mentor, husband, and father.
It can be hard for a kid to navigate the pitfalls of adolescence. The staff at Three Rivers Middle School wants to help. That help comes in many forms, one of which is a program called TRAILS – Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students.